American Idol 10: Carole King Week Goes to James Durbin & Scotty McCreery

Tonight the final six contestants on American Idol season 10 sang songs from the library of Carole King. I was afraid it would be a yawn-fest, even though I like most of her songs. It’s not a good genre for these young singers. It was not as bad as I feared. In fact, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery managed to have really good performances, again. Hopefully we’ll get the country vs. rock showdown it looks like we are headed for in the finals.

Just for filler, Idol producers gave us duets tonight too. Yay. So, mixed in with the regular top six performances we saw: Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, Jacob Lusk and a less than thrilled looking James Durbin.

Kenny “Baby Face” Edmonds joined with Jimmy Iovine to mentor the Idol hopefuls. He definitely pointed them in the right direction.

American Idol 10: Stefano Langone Reaches the End of His Idol Road

Only six contestants are left on American Idol 10 after Stefano Langone was eliminated tonight. David Cook and Katy Perry (with Kenye West) appeared live for performances too. After what has come to be the usual suspects in the bottom three, Stefano was finally let go.

The Idol producers are changing things up every week now for the group performances. First Jacob Lusk, Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and Stefano Langone teamed up for a version of “Hey Soul Sister.” It was only okay at best. It’s hard to sound good with so many high voices at one time. Next came Casey Abrams, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery with their group song, Coldplay‘s “Viva La Vida.” It was only slightly better.

American Idol 10: Top 7 Sing Songs of the 21st Century

There were a few F-bombs dropped on the live American Idol stage tonight. They all came from Steven Tyler though, so not really breaking news. The more surprising thing was the lack of train wrecks. This group of Idol hopefuls did well on the whole tonight. There were a couple that raised the bar though, namely James Durbin and Casey Abrams. We also got to see the Idol kids make fun of each other’s habits.

Scotty McCreery - “Swingin’” by Leann Rimes
The other contestants made fun of the way Scotty holds the microphone. He did not pay any attention to them… I wish he would. The T-Rex arms are really getting on my nerves. This was a boring song choice for Scotty and he did little to spice it up. He did walk around the stage more, and brought out his deep tenor, but it was still very boring. I think he has a big enough fan base to keep him safe. If they vote, that is.

American Idol 10: Paul McDonald Goes Home and Then There Were Seven

More likely tonight’s latest eliminated American Idol contestant, Paul McDonald, will be exceptionally busy after his Idol Tour. I don’t see Paul slowing down one bit. In fact I think it would be cool to watch him at his own concert. Either way, Idol was great exposure for his eclectic voice.

The duets were back tonight, and not just for the Idol kids. More on that later. The Idol hopefuls grouped as: Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart & Casey Abrams. Then the quartet of guys: Paul McDonald, Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone and James Durbin. All sounded really good in their groups. Idol producers need to stick with this format.

American Idol 10: James Durbin Revisits Heavy Metal, Casey Brings the Jazz

The night was dedicated to music in the movies this week on American Idol 10, but first… let’s honor Jlo for being named “Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by People Magazine. M’kay, awkward moment while a spotlight falls on JLO and an old recording is played of “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”  The prelude should have been Ryan Seacrest saying, “and now for something completely different.” Finally we got to the music. It was a bit of a sleepy night until the end.

American Idol Shocker: Pia Toscano Eliminated Early

Iggy Pop performed live on American Idol tonightCover of Iggy Pop

It was a weird night from the very beginning of the AI elimination show tonight. Constantine Maroulis slaughtered his performance, not in a good way. Iggy Pop had to be bleeped and camera blocked during his scary performance. Ryan Seacrest promised a shocking elimination, and he was right. Pia Toscano was eliminated from AI season 10, finishing in 9th place.

The group number returned to start the show. That was the first mistake. Singing a medley of rock & roll hits did nothing to help this group of ranging voices. Last week we got to hear duets, it should have stayed that way.

American Idol Season 10: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night for the Top 9

Tonight the American Idol hopefuls took on the library of those inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I think it separated the kids from the adults. The older Idol contestants seemed to dig deeper this week for their songs. The younger ones went with the standards. Nothing really new there though. It seems this group is happy to recreate previous Idol moments. The problem is they always seem to choose the real defining moments of others and leave themselves looking like karaoke fans.

Here’s what happened on rock & roll night on American Idol:

Jacob Lusk: “Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
If Jacob Lusk falls into the bottom three tomorrow night it will likely be due to his comments pre-performance. “If I end up in the bottom three it’s because America wasn’t ready to look at itself in the mirror,” said Lusk. You haven’t won yet Jacob. The performance was okay, at best. He over sang the song again. It was only slightly better than Kris Allen’s performance on Idol season eight (and I only say that because the song writer, Siedah Garrett, joined him onstage. How fair is that?). Actually after re-watching the Kris Allen video it wasn't better at all.

American Idol Season 10: Naima and Thia Go Home Together

Ryan Seacrest opened the American Idol live elimination show by saying that we would not believe who would be leaving tonight. In a build up to a dramatic ending we saw a recap of last week’s dramatic ending (when Casey Abrams nearly passed out on stage). Tonight was nowhere close. Two Idol hopefuls did leave but there were no big surprises. Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia had their AI lights snuffed out… and my spell check thanks the American public for that.

In a pleasant surprise it seems Idol producers finally understand that these voices just don’t gel this season. They are all decent singers, but a very eclectic group. Instead of the usual painful group number we were blessed with duets and small groups instead.

American Idol Season 10 Takes on Elton John

Image via Wikipedia

Not that I’m a fan or anything, but I think I officially know every single Elton John / Bernie Taupin song ever put on vinyl. So I was prepared for some disappointments. It was not a bad night though, on the whole. I wish the American Idol kids would dig a little deeper for the good songs, but maybe they can’t (or just don’t know enough). Here’s how the Elton John night went down on Idol.

Scotty McCreery - “Country Comfort”
I give Scotty credit for digging into the Elton John library a little deeper than the rest. Even though he only chose the song because it had “country” in the title. Shows his youth. He did well, even giving a shout out to his grandma in the audience. The last note was a little off, but he tried to throw the baritone in there for good measure. Like Jacob Lusk and the high notes, you don’t need them every week. I would have liked to heard Scotty sing "Blue Eyes" instead.

“American Idol” Season 10: Judges Save Casey Abrams

Top 11 Will Tour for “AI10”

Everything about tonight’s “American Idol” elimination show felt dramatic. Stevie Wonder singing “Happy Birthday” to Steven Tyler. Surprise! Hulk Hogan ripping out of his t-shirt to tell Paul McDonald and James Durbin they were safe. Surprise! Casey Abrams getting eliminated… surprise! The last was the biggest one of the night. The judges used their one “save” of the season on Casey Abrams tonight, nearly causing him to pass out on stage.

The start of the “American Idol” elimination live show came with the required group number. It was obvious the “Idol” hopefuls had been better coached this week. We saw a film clip of Marc Anthony, judge Jlo’s husband, schooling the contestants on the tech side of things. Specifically the in-the-ear mics they wear. Most of the singers have had pitch problems during live performances and say they can’t hear themselves. After a  tutoring session Anthony said, “I don’t want no ******* excuses this week!”

Tonight’s “AI” elimination show would leave us with the top 10. These are the ones on the tour this summer. It did not take long for Ryan Seacrest to start calling names to the center of the stage. It took even less time for him to pronounce Pia Toscano, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery safe.

Will Casey Abrams Return to American Idol Season 10?

At this time it does appear Casey Abrams, the bearded blues singer, will return (though no official announcements have been made) to American Idol season 10 despite being hospitalized for a second time for Ulcerative Colitis.

Abrams tweeted after being absent from last week's AI elimination show, "hey guys, thanks for the well wishes, I got some nice fresh blood in me and feeling better. People at Idol & Cedars are treatin me real good." You can follow Casey Abrams on Twitter to keep up to date with his progress and to wish him well.

American Idol Season 10: James Durbin & Casey Abrams Rock Their Idols

Last night was the first live night of performances on American Idol season 10. It was a little disappointing and the nerves showed up for most of the Idol contestants. There were a few who shined through though. James Durbin continues to impress me, and Casey Abrams is still my front runner to win AI this season. Contestants were to choose a song from their musical idol this week.



Here’s how the first live night went on AI season 10:


Lauren Alaina - Shania Twain “Any Man of Mine”
It was a fun song, but for the first time it felt like a karaoke bar when Lauren Alaina sang. The performance was okay on the whole, but not nearly what I expected from this powerhouse voice.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said he wished it had been “a little more kick ass…”
Jlo said the judges wanted to hear Lauren “kick it into a higher gear…”
Randy Jackson agreed that Lauren sang it well, but needed to find a song to “make her shine.”

AI Season 10 Videos: Best Performances So Far

We finally have our Top 13 for American Idol season 10, but they did not necessarily have the best performances of the year so far. A couple of them did, but I think some others stood out during the Hollywood and Vegas auditions as well.

Here are a few of my favorite AI season 10 videos so far:

Jacob Lusk puts his heart and soul into "God Bless the Child" during his solo. Take us to church Jacob! Best solo during auditions ever, I think. 

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American Idol Season 10 Top 12 Guys: Which Five Will Survive?

Finally it's time! The first big full stage performances by the American Idol hopefuls of season 10 started tonight. The top 12 guys took the stage in front a few hundred screaming fans and a huge new stage. It was a night of ups and downs, as usual on Idol. Ryan Seacrest greeted the judges, then gave Steven Tyler his own mouth bubble in case he “saw any ducks”, or in case he were to *bleep* up.

AI season 10 contestants were allowed to choose their song tonight... I always fear for them when the door is left that wide open. It did not bode well for some of the top 12 guys.

Clint Jun Gamboa: “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

Clint is a karaoke star in his hometown, and like so many other karaoke Idol hopefuls he chose one of the most overdone songs. Yes, it showed off his vocal ability... and Clint Gamboa does have vocal ability. He does not seem to have the heart of a true musician though. He doesn't seem to really have emotion when he sings. He's not compelling to watch, at all. He does sing well though.

Judges: All three judges thought Clint Gamboa was brilliant.